5 things you didn't know about the lives of stars

You're a star How much do you know about the life and death of stars? by JoAnna Wendel November 21, 2020 NASA

NASA Where are stars born? A. In a nebula B. In empty space C. In the explosion of an old star D. In a black hole

A. In a nebula. A nebula is a vast cloud of dust and gas . The dust and gas slowly collapse into a star, and nuclear fusion starts in the core. The star is now in its “main sequence” of life.

NASA In the core of a main sequence star, nuclear reactions fuse hydrogen into which element? A. Carbon B. Oxygen C. Helium D. Iron

C. Helium. For each atom of helium, four hydrogen atoms fuse together . This reaction keeps the star burning for millions — if not billions — of years .

NASA How long does a star’s main sequence last? A. 10 billion years B. 80 billion years C. 20 million years D. All of the above

D. All of the above. A star’s main sequence lifetime depends on its mass . Our Sun’s main sequence will last about 10 billion years, while a much larger star will only live in its main sequence for 20 million years, and a much smaller star for 80 billion years.

NASA True or False: all stars die by exploding as a supernova A. True B. False C It’s complicated

B. False. Only very large stars, those at least 8 times the size of our Sun, explode in supernovae .

NASA How will our Sun die? A. It will expand into a red giant, then shrink into a white dwarf B. It will expand into a red giant and then explode C. It will collapse as a white dwarf D. It will explode as a supernova

A. When the Sun runs out of fuel , it will expand into a red giant and engulf the inner solar system. After a few more million years, it will shrink into a white dwarf.

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5 things you didn't know about the lives of stars

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